Author's Note: I really wanted to make this chapter longer, but it felt more apropriate to leave it where I did. I'm sorry it took so long for me to get the first chapter up, but life kinda caught up with me. Well here it is, I hope that you enjoy the first chapter. Th second one hopefully won't take so long. Oh, and please don't forget to review! Author's live off of reviews.
In a secluded part of the Forbidden Forest, seven strangely garbed people were gathered around an even stranger diagram that had been burnt into the grass.
These queer looking folk all wore strange robes of light cheerful colours, except one who wore only white. They had gathered there together to perform an old forbidden ceremony. A ritual that, when performed correctly, would summon forth a powerful spirit.
"Are you sure about this Minister? This is rather drastic" One of the seven asked, he was wearing a sunshine yellow robe that swayed slightly in the growing wind.
"Of course! He Who Must Not Be Named needs to be stopped! If this succeeds Mr.Twixxer, we will have a solid offence against You Know Who" The one drabbed in white spoke dramatically while he waved his hands around in the air unnecsecarily.
"Minister! Really! There must be another way! There is a reason that these summoning rituals are forbidden!" A woman with long dark black hair in a striking violet robe protested vehemently.
"Nonsense Mrs.Darling! The Minister has had hundreds of skilled wizards and witches research until we had all of the facts! Nothing can go wrong" A man with bright red hair in a rather odd looking orange robe preached to the doubters of the group.
The five uneasy members of the group shared a nervous look before they gathered their courage and spread out. Each person took their place at the apropriate spot. They took there place in the circle with Percy Weasly, the only one of the men and women who supported and defended the Minister's actions.
The six of them took their places at the ends of a six pointed star while the Minister took his place carefully in the middle of the diagram burned into the ground.
The robes that they all wore seemed to glow in the bright moonlight.
To anyone who knew of the ancient magick that they were using understood that the colours of their robes signified six of the elements in the world. There were many nervous glances amoung the five doubters, they knew they were playing with something that was not to be meddled with. What would happen if something in the ritual summoning went wrong?
"Well let's get this thing rolling" A woman with bright blue hair dressed in a bubble gum pink robe said. She was nervous but she desperately wanted this to be done and over with.
As one the seven began to act out the parts that they had been given. Arms rose to meet the sky, beginning the ritual that they all hoped would bring forth the help that they desperatly needed.
Though they chanted in an arcane language they all knew deep down in their souls what they were saying and what they were asking.
"We summon the light. We call to the being that embodies all the is virtuous and proper in the world. We beseech you Spirit, serve our noble cause and bind yourself to our realm. Entity of birth and life, hear our plea and answer our call. Avatar of light, nobility and righteousness, come forth and serve your new Leader and Master!" They chanted together, voices mingling and becoming one as the ancient magick built in the air.
Eyes that no one remembered closing shot wide open as the earth beneath them trembled and quaked. Symbols that had been so carefully scorched into the grass began to glow with an uneartly brightness that rivaled the desert sun and caused all to look away and shield their eyes.
A strangled keening cry filled the air but none could find exactly where it came from. They knew it came from within the circle but they couldn't place quite where. Their only hope was that it didn't come from their Minister.
The light faded away as suddenly as it had come and when they had all rubbed away the temporary blindness from their eyes they found two bodies lying next to each other in the middle of where all the magick writings had met. Arthur Weasly idly noted that the grass that had been so carefully burned was strangely grown back.
There was a moment of stunned and shocked silence before the remaining six of the group rushed forward to help their fallen Minister.
When they reached the Minister's side, Arthur realised with a startled gasp that the person laying next to the unconscious Minister was naught more than a boy.
Could something have gone wrong with the summoning and brought the boy instead of the spirit they had intended to summon? Arthur prayed that it was not so.
"What have we done?" Grace whispered to the wind that whipped around the lot of them.
"We have done what we did so many years ago. Placed the world's problems on the shoulders of an innocent child" Arthur said forlornly as he gently picked up the limp and unconscious boy.
Percy helped one of the other men lift the unconscious Minister while Grace conjured stretchers to carry the man and child.
"Gods Arthur, that boy can't be any older than my little Nathan!" Grace whispered, her voice low and slightly broken with emotions thats she never wanted to feel.
"I know Grace, but we'll worry about this later. Right now let us concentrate on getting these two to Hogwarts to see Madam Pomfrey" Arthur said, taking charge and leading the remaining six through the dark and forboding Forbidden Forest.
Once they had gotten out of the forest the group found themselves looking up at a magnificent castle. Light from candles and fires poured through windows and passage ways, making the old castle seem alive.
Off in the distance Grace could see the 'horseless' carriges drawn by thestrals carrying the students to the school.
Percy motioned for the rest to follow him to Hogwarts. Silence weighed heavily on them and there was tension in the air as their ragtag group made ita way up the stone pathways and stairs.
A stern older looking woman was waiting around the next corner that they were breezing past. She looked startled at seeing them.
"What is going on here?" She demanded as she composed herself.
"We are sorry to intrude like this Professor McGonagall, but the Minister of Magic is injured!" Percy said, his voice rushed and slightly paniced. He was being slightly rude, but at the moment he was to concerned about his superier and what would happen at the Ministry of Magic if the Minister was incappacitated for to long.
McGonagall's lips were pursed and she allowed them to pass hurriedly in the direction of the hospital wing.
"I suppose you're going to make the first year's wait a memorable one for allowing the Minister to pass by unharmed?" McGonagall asked a portly silvery man who was floating above, armed with waterballoons that were more than likely filled with something other than water.
"If I must" The man said with an insane giggle that told he had no problem with causing extra chaos for the first year students.
"Don't hurt any of them Peeves. We don't need any more visits to the Hospital Wing tonight" McGonagall warned the Poltergiest.
Peeves meerly laughed and flew off to quickly to grab a few more things.
McGonagall sighed and shook her head. She was getting to old for this.
A few stairways and many hallways down the people who had inadvertantly caused extra havoc for many of the new students, were just making it to the rather large doors of the Hospital Wing.
The doors opened of their own accord and the two that were leading the unconscious rushed forward to the very capable Medi-Witch who ran the hospital wing.
"Madam Pomfrey! The Minister, he is unconscious!" Percy said in a rush as Madam Pomfrey levitated the unconscious man and child into hospital were she could help them better.
"What happened?" Madam Pomfrey demanded as she checked the vital stats of the boy and then the Minister.
"Well...something went wrong. Obviously. What we think happened though was there was something off about the summoning. We could have mistranslated the spell or some other uch thing but we think that because the Minister was the focal point he ended up getting the brunt of the backlash of magic since we didn't get the spirit we intended to summon" Grace explained as she and the others watched Madam Pomfrey work.
"And the boy?" Pomfrey asked, a slight edge to her voice, a warning to the Ministery workers standing in her hospital wing. She had finished examining the Minister and the odd boy. Readying several potions for when the two awoke, Madam Pomfrey gave the six a withering glance. The Minister would have quite the headache and come naseua but it wasn't anything serious. The boy however...
The boy was another matter entirely.
She was worried.
She couldn't figure out what was wrong. He wasn't awake, though nor was he sleeping or unconscious. It confused and made her heart clench tightly in concern.
"Well, er...you see..." Arthur began nervously. He was not one to want to invoke a woman's wrath.
"Spit it out Arthur!" Madam Pomfrey huffed impatiently. The sooner she knew what ailed the boy the sooner she could fix him.
"He was what we got. Instead of a Spirit of Light, we got this boy" Arthur murmured as he waved his hand at the boy who lie on the infermary bed.
"What! You summoned a boy! Human summonings are why ritual summonings were banned thousands of years ago! I warned you that summonings weren't to be triffled with! Albus warned you!" Pomfrey half bellowed-half screeched. Arthur Weasly visibly flinched, that was the tone his wife used...Which meant they were all in for an earfull.
"Madam...we told you it went wrong, just not...what...went wrong" Grace said gently, calming the Medi-Witch. Slightly.
"...It could take this boy months to wake up. IF he wakes at all. I hope that you know what you've managed to do. This boy can't be anymore than thirteen, and for all we know he could very well be a muggle!" Pomfrey finally ground out. She was not in any mood for talking to anyone so she shooed everyone from the Hospital Wing
Several hours later found Arthur, Percy, Grace and the Minister in the Head Master's office, the other three having gone home to their families.
"What will be done with the boy?" Grace asked, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence that had fallen on them.
"I believe Madam Pomfrey specifically stated that the boy is not to leave her sight. Lemon Drop?" Dumbledor offered helpfully with a smile as he popped a lemon drop into his mouth.
"The Ministry will not stand for the summoned to remain unsupervised!" The Minister said firmly, he couldn't leave a young boy alone in Hogwarts. Especially since he didn't know who the boy was.
"Of course Cornelius, I wouldn't expect anyless of the Ministry. I was however, about to suggest that young Percy Weasly here stay and watch over the boy until he awakens" Dumbledor said, still smiling his small smile that was almost always on his face.
"Very well Dumbledor. As soon as that boy awakens I expect you to deliver him to me. He must have some sort of connection with the Spirit we were TRYING to summon. Otherwise he would not have appeared. I will not let this chance escape. We must defeat He-who-must-not-be-named before he gains more power and more allies!" Fudge scowled at the much older man who was being infuriatingly helpful.
"Do not let your fear of Voldermort cloud your morals Cornelius" Dumbledor wisely warned before he turned slightly to the side and picked up a rubix cube. He had managed to complete the blue side and almost all of the red side except there was this one white piece that would not remove itself not matter which way he spun the little cube shaped puzzle.
"Muggle games are so fascinating..." Dumbledor mumbled to himself as he ignored the Ministry workers who were picking themselves up out of the comfy chairs that had been conjoured for them to sit in.
"Crazy old bat...Percy, I want you to owl me as soon as the boy awakens. Do you hear me? The moment his eyes open!" The Minister hissed to Percy. They were the first out the door, Grace and Arthur being a few steps behind them were not able to hear what the two were speaking of but it gave Arthur a sinking feeling in his stomach. His son, Percy Weasly had been acting strongly under Minister Fudge's influence.
